Amid fresh warnings, May faces down Brexit critics
LONDON — British Prime Minister Theresa May faced down her Conservative Party critics and got roars of approval Wednesday even as warnings mounted about the disruption that could be unleashed if Britain leaves the European Union without a divorce deal.
May tried to shore up her besieged leadership with a speech to her party’s “1922 Committee” of backbench lawmakers. Many of them oppose her attempts to strike a Brexit agreement with the EU.
May made a call for unity to the dozens of legislators who packed a wood-paneled room at Parliament in London.
Lawmaker Michael Fabricant said May had urged the party to “hang together” as negotiations with the EU reached their endgame.
The meeting came as Britain’s spending watchdog, the National Audit Office, said smugglers and other organized criminals were likely to exploit gaps in border enforcement in the event of a “no-deal” Brexit.
The International Air Transport Association also warned there could be “chaos for travelers” if backup aviation plans weren’t put in place quickly.
Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, but London and Brussels have not reached an agreement on their new relationship.
Meanwhile, the Financial Times reported that at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, British Transport Secretary Chris Grayling raised the idea of chartering ships to bring in food and medicines through alternative ports if new customs checks led to gridlock on the main shipping route between Dover in England and Calais in France.